Ethnobotanical investigation of traditional medicinal plants commercialized in the markets of Mashhad, Iran.

OBJECTIVE
An ethnobotanical survey on the medicinal plant species marketed in Mashhad city, northeastern Iran, was conducted in order to document traditional medicinal knowledge and application of medicinal plants.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
This study was undertaken between 2011 and 2012. The indigenous knowledge of traditional healers used for medicinal purposes were collected through questionnaire and personal interviews during field trips. Ethnobotanical data was arranged alphabetically by family name followed by botanical name, vernacular name, part used, folk use, and recipe. Correct identification was made with the help of the various Floras and different herbal literature at the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad Herbarium (FUMH).


RESULTS
The present investigation reported medicinal information for about 269 species, belonging to 87 vascular plant families and one fungus family. The most important family was Lamiaceae with 26 species, followed by Asteraceae with 23, Fabaceae with 20, and Apiaceae with 19. Herbal medicine uses reported by herbalists was classified into 132 different uses which show significant results to treat a wide spectrum of human ailments. Plants sold at the market were mostly used for digestive system disorders, respiratory problems, urological troubles, nervous system disorders, skin problems, and gynecological ailments.


CONCLUSION
This survey showed that although people in study area have access to modern medical facilities, a lot of them still continue to depend on medicinal plants for the treatment of healthcare problems. The present paper represents significant ethnobotanical information on medical plants which provides baseline data for future pharmacological and phytochemical studies.


Introduction
The usage of medicinal plants presents a very important aspect of the traditional medicine which is imbedded in the culture of people of developing countries (Kloucek et al., 2005). In many developing countries, medicinal plants have not been well studied, tested, or documented. Most of the information is still in the hands of traditional healers and knowledge of healers is either lost or passed to next generation by the word of mouth (Yirga, 2010). The extent of the knowledge of traditional medicine practice based on medicinal plants should be documented through botanical surveys. Botanical collection and documentation of the associated ethno-botanical knowledge should be carried out before such rich heritages are lost due to various anthropogenic and other natural causes (Martin, 1995).
Traditional herbal medicine has played an important role in Iran. Iran has a very honorable past in traditional medicine, which goes back to the time of Babylonian-Assyrian civilization. One of the most significant ancient heritages is sophisticated experience of people who have tried over the millennia to discover useful plants for health improvement and each generation added their own experience to this tradition (Naghibi et al., 2005). Today, medicinal plants are still widely used in Iran. In all cities and villages, there are specific stores (named Attari), which traditional healers (Attar) give receipts and sell medicinal plants. People use medicinal plants as curatives or palliatives of main health problems according to their cultural background. The notable use and commercialization of medicinal plants to alleviate and cure health problems and ailments in all cities of the country, points out the importance of these natural resources in the folk medicine and culture of the Iranian people (Emami et al., 2012). Despite the vast knowledge of medicinal plants existed in Iran, a few attempts have been carried out to document ethnobotanical knowledge. Some researchers have investigating the traditional pharmacopoeia and medicinal plants in different areas of the country (Amin, 2006;Emami et al., 2012;Ghorbani, 2005;Hooper and Field, 1937;Miraldi et al., 2001;Mosaddegh et al., 2012;Naghibi et al., 2005;Rajaei, 2012;Safa et al., 2013;Zargari, 1989Zargari, -1992).
The objective of this work was to elicit data on the traditional uses of medicinal plants marketed in Mashhad city and preserve it to be used by the next generations. In addition, the present paper provides baseline data for future pharmacological and phytochemical studies.

Study area
Mashhad is located in the northeast of Iran. It is the second largest city in Iran and one of the holiest cities in the world. Turkmenistan, between the two mountain ranges of Binalood and Hezar-masjed. It is located in the center of the Razavi Khorasan Province close to the borders of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. The total area of the Mashhad is 270 km 2 and the population of the city is about 3 million people. There are also over 20 million pilgrims who visit the city every year.
The vast majority of the Mashhad people are ethnic Persians who form over 95% of the city's population. Other ethnic groups include Kurdish and Turkmen people who have immigrated recently to the city from the North Khorasan province. Among the non-Iranians, there are small immigrants from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan.

Methods
In order to gather information on medicinal species that were found in the markets of Mashhad, a survey was carried out during the years 2011-2012. Ethnobotanical interview was used as the basis for data gathering. A questionnaire was administered only to people who had knowledge of medicinal plants, through face to face interviews. Totally, more than 100 informants (Attar) with in the age of 37 to 82 were interviewed; these included males and females. Ethnobotanical information, including the various data such as name and age of informants, local names, purpose of usage, preparation procedure, and duration of the treatment were obtained through interviews and discussions.
After collecting the specimens, we represented these specimens to different people to confirm the accuracy of the results. Subsequently, specimens of the reported medicinal plants were identified by specialist with the help of available Floras (Rechinger, 1963(Rechinger, -2005Assadi et al., 1988Assadi et al., -2008 and consulting with different herbal literature (Amin, 1991;Hooper, 1937;Zargari, 1989Zargari, -1992 at the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad Herbarium (FUMH). In this paper, scientific and author names of plant species were checked for accuracy according to the plant list (www.theplantlist.org).

Results
Markets have long been recognized as places that reflect regional trade and culture, and have been used to study the commercialization and utilization of natural products (Hooper and Field, 1937

Discussion
The survey indicated that the study area has plenty of medicinal plants to treat a wide spectrum of human ailments. Herbal medicine uses reported by herbalists can be classified into 132 different uses. Traditional knowledge of phytotherapy of this region provides excellent results in the treatment of jaundice, diarrhea, kidney stones, eczema, obesity, psoriasis, arthritis, diabetes, bone fracture, stomachache, cancer, migraine, joints pains, asthma, headache, skin problems, urinary troubles, wound, toothache, purification of blood, constipation, intestinal worms, pimples, and many other ailments. The highest number of species and applications were reported for digestive system disorders (38.4 %). Significant results are noticed in terms of treatments of respiratory system disorders such as sinusitis, asthma, and bronchitis.
The most efficient medicinal plants are Perovskia abrotanoides, Dysphania botrys, Coriandrum sativum, Vitex negundo, and Ziziphora clinopodioides. Diseases such as jaundice, diarrhea, anemia, rheumatism, joints pains, and dysmenorrheal were obviously easily diagnosed by the old herbalists. General physical condition and tongue or eyes color of the patient are used as indicators of the patient's problem. Through the analysis of records of plant-based medicinal treatments (Table 1), it becomes obvious that some of the plants are being used more frequently than others (Achillea santolinoides, Astragalus gummifer, Bunium persicum, Cichorium intybus, Echium amoenum, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Malva sylvestris, Nardostachys jatamansi, Plantago ovate, and Ziziphora clinopodioides). Aerial parts (stem, leaves, and flowers) are the most frequently used parts in medicinal purposes. Present investigation showed that the traditional drugs sold in herbal shops in the city of Mashhad may be adulterated or substituted with quite unrelated plant materials. Due to some morphological similarities of the plant parts and their improper identification by the consumers and herbal plant sellers and lack of a standard identification system, the crude medicinal plants and their parts are often adulterated or substituted in commerce which may result in the loss of their efficacy. For instance, Alcea spp. especially (Alcea rosea, Alcea aucheri, Alcea angulata, Alcea rhyticarpa, and Alcea lavateriflora) are known as Gol-e-khatmi in different parts of study area and Hibiscus syriacus L. adulterated or substituted instead of them and also Thalictrum sultanabadense Stapf are sold instead of Adiantum capillus-veneris L. in some market samples.
Distinction and identification of medicinal plants are very important because the adulterants, although belonging to the same genus as the drug, does not possess the medicinal properties of the drug. For example, Bunium cylindricum are mixed with real Zire-esiah (Bunium persicum) and are sold in the market resulting in the degrading of the quality and efficacy of the drug. Correct identification of herbal drugs is the foundation of safe use of herbal medicines and products. Therefore, in order to ensure safety, therapeutic potency and efficacy of herbal medicines, correct identification, authentication, and elimination of adulteration are essential and the drugs should only be authenticated by a panel of experts including taxonomists (Joharchi and Amiri, 2012).
This investigation indicated that 269 medicinal plant species belonging to 88 families were found in the research area. Among them, 193 species were indigenous of Iran and 76 species were imported from other countries. These plants are used in the treatment of many diseases. Market survey revealed that there are more than 600 herbalist shops trading natural medicinal products in the Mashhad markets.
By comparing present applications of medicinal plants with available literature reported from other regions of Iran, it appears that there are many medicinal uses for the treatment of various ailments in the study area which were rarely demonstrated before this. To our knowledge, the use of Anastatica hierochuntica, Gentiana olivieri, Helichrysum graveolens, Mangifera indica, Platanus orientalis, Rheum turkestanicum, Strychnos nux-vomica, and Trichodesma incanum to cure different illnesses, have never been reported before. Further research should be carried out in the field of pharmacology, phytochemistry, and biotechnology of these resources which may lead to the development of new plant-based medicines. From this study, it is concluded that although the people in research area have access to modern medical facilities, a lot of them still use traditional medicine for their healthcare problems. This represents a medicinal alternative for healing health problems which remains closer to the cultural and social context of this society.